


The Things That Could Have Been

by Sandnose



Series: In the Throes of War [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Cuddling, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Episode: s03e18 The Citadel, but clones like to cuddle it out, jedi don't know how to healthily cope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23539924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandnose/pseuds/Sandnose
Summary: In the aftermath of the Citadel mission, Commander Cody finds himself with a significant lack of men to check up one — save of the one he knows needs him most.//When Obi-Wan is overwhelmed by loss, Cody is there to keep him from losing himself.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: In the Throes of War [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1694026
Comments: 16
Kudos: 157





	The Things That Could Have Been

“Thanks, Doc.” Cody said as he walked out of the medical bay. He had only sustained some minor bruises and burns from their last mission – but he could not say the same for everyone else involved.

In total, they had lost a Jedi Master, some of said jedi’s surviving clone naval officers, two of Rex’s men – _Charger, Echo_ , and five of his own – _Longshot…_

But the mission had been completed: the intel had been recovered and was safe from enemy hands. They had done the impossible.

_But at what cost?_

Cody had been the last one to get checked over, with the jedi going first so they could attend their debriefing with the Jedi Council. Then the survivors of Piell’s crew, who were all a little worse for wear, but would be fine in the long run. Lastly, the three remaining clone officers, Rex staying pressed close to an unusually silent Fives, while Cody tried not to think about the lack of other orange-clad troopers onboard the ship. 

Cody spared a glance down the hall towards the officers’ quarters as he walked solemnly past. Fives had still had that thousand-yard stare as Rex had helped lead him out of the med-bay, with Rex himself giving Cody a last pitiful parting glace. 

While on the transport to The Citadel, Cody had taken the chance to catch up with Fives and Echo, with the two eagerly filling the Marshal Commander on what they had been up to since their ARC Training. Echo had also shared that it reminded them a lot of their time training with their squad of batch-mates back on Kamino, and had dropped the tidbit that he and Fives were the last of the Domino Squad.

_Now there’s only one Domino left standing._ Cody thought mournfully as he turned his head away from the dim hall to focus once more on the corridor he was headed down.

Rex had let Cody know that the jedi were out of their debriefing when General Skywalker had commed to check up on them. When Rex had responded with a clipped yet exhausted affirmative, the jedi had wished them a good rest as he planned on trying to get some himself. 

But Cody had not heard anything from his own general, which was rather out of character. The clone could only assume that the general was still trying to “process” their losses from this mission on his own. So it could not hurt to try and check up on him in person, surely.

Cody had had his hand raised to the door-pad to request entry when the metal barrier slid away of its own accord. When he saw no one else by the doorway, Cody warily stepped in.

The room was near pitch black, with his eyes starting to adjust to the dim glow that the wall-trim gave off. Soiled robes had been cast off carelessly onto the floor, creating a minefield for the commander to maneuver through to get to the subtly shifting figure curled up on the bunk across the small quarters. Cody was suddenly glad that he had decided to forego his armor after having removed it for the med-bay.

As he slowly got closer, he noticed a familiar shape wrapped up in the middle of the pile on the bunk.

“So that’s where my helmet ran off to.” He said with a hint of a fond smirk.

The arms holding it only tightened in response, and that made Cody descend onto the bed with a small sigh.

An uncomfortable stillness settled between them for a few moments more before Cody raised his voice again.

“General—” He stopped himself as the other’s body tensed.

“Obi-Wan…” He reached a gentle hand out to rest on the jedi’s bare forearm.

He was met with clouded gray eyes.

“There’s so much pain.” The older man whispered, his voice watery with unshed emotion.

“I know, _cyar-ika._ ” He agreed as he lowered himself to lay facing the other.

Their eyes locked and neither could find the strength to tear them apart. Obi-Wan broke the connection by clenching his eyes shut with a pained expression.

“Rex is so shaken, but he’s trying to do what he must to be there for the rest of his brothers. And Fives—” His voice broke on the name as a shudder wracked his tensed frame. “He is aching! He just feels so—”

“Alone.” Cody finished for his partner. “I-I know how he feels.”

Obi-Wan reached out to brush the backs of his fingers ever so lightly across the clone commander’s smooth cheek, reassuring himself that the man was truly there with him.

“We lost a lot of good men out there today.” Cody stated, trying to rationalize the situation, but more so just trying to acknowledge the fact himself.

“That could have been you.”

“There were five 212th soldiers who gave their lives on that mission—”

“That could have been _you_.”

Cody froze at the shattered tone his love had taken. He met those beautiful eyes of his once more, only to find them wide and wet with unshed tears.

“When we were scaling the outer wall. When the halls were electrified. When those security doors closed in the shaft.” Obi-Wan’s eyes started growing more frantic as he recalled all of the dying clones’ final moments. Cody could not help a sad smile at that; leave it to Kenobi to remember each of his brothers’ fates in the heat of such a trying mission, he knew someone would have to honor their memory.

“When the warden took up a blaster and started taking out our men, I—” A single tear slid down his cheek as his body froze in horror at the memory.

As Cody’s finger rose to wipe it away, Obi-Wan let out a shuddering sob, curling further around his commander’s helmet protectively.

“I-I can’t lose you, Cody. I can’t go on in this war without you. I just can’t keep up this fighting without you by my side. What would I tell the men? That I had _failed_ you—”

“Obi, you’ve _never_ failed me,” he carefully shushed his lover’s ramblings, “and you never will.”

The clone shifted closer to the jedi, covering one of the arms holding onto his helmet with his own, and letting the other soothingly weave into Obi-Wan’s worried hair. Cody’s lips ghosted over the other’s clammy forehead, letting the steady pulse from his breaths comfort them both,

“I am sworn to protect _you_ , my General. But that is only my duty. I am bound by honor to stay by your side.” Obi-Wan shifted a little closer at his words. “And, trust me, I don’t plan on going anywhere else.”

After both of their breathing had evened out and he was sure that Obi-Wan would not react adversely, Cody shifted the helmet out from in-between them. With the space now vacant, he decided to shift closer to his other and give him more of _him_ to hold instead. Obi-Wan took it a step further as he curled into the man’s chest, tucking his head under Cody’s chin, and intertwined their legs so that the other could not leave – though, that was honestly the very last thing the commander wanted to do.

“I am with you _cyar’ika_ , now and forever.” Cody breathed to the other. “This I swear to you.”

He took comfort in the way that Obi-Wan’s body slowly started to relax at that, eventually going completely slack against his own.

**Author's Note:**

> Mando'a:  
>  _cyar'ika_ — beloved
> 
> Here's my Star Wars blog on tumblr, if you wanna request anything or just say hi! —> [not-so-shiny-shinie](https://not-so-shiny-shinie.tumblr.com/)


End file.
